The present invention is directed to an absorbent article for containing and absorbing discharged body wastes. More particularly, the invention pertains to a disposable absorbent article having elasticized leg cuffs for enhanced waste containment.
Disposable absorbent articles in fields such as infant care, child care, feminine care and adult incontinency have been constructed in an effort to contain and absorb urine and other body exudates. Most of these absorbent articles have several common components, including a liquid pervious bodyside liner, a liquid impervious backing sheet, an absorbent material disposed between the bodyside liner and the backing sheet, and some form of attachment system for securing the product about the body of the wearer.
In an attempt to improve the containment and absorption abilities of such products, special components have been developed and added to the common components listed above. Leg elastics are one such special component. Leg elastics typically comprise several elastic strands positioned along the sides of the absorbent material and stretch bonded to the liner and backing sheet. The function of the elastic strands is to gather the side portions of the article and form seals or gaskets about the legs of the wearer.
While leg elastics of the foregoing type can provide a demonstrable improvement in waste containment, absorbent articles incorporating such leg elastics may still be subject to failures in the form of leakage around the legs. In part, this may be attributable to the fact that leg elastics are unable to fully conform to the contours of the wearer. Further, existing leg elastics are believed to be a potential source of discomfort to the wearer. It is hypothesized that the gatherable materials to which the elastic strands are attached tend to form multiple pleats along the length of the strands when the elastic strands are in a semi-relaxed state. During movements, the pleats may rub against the wearer, leading to irritation or chafing. Because increased tension may simply increase the formation of pleats and exacerbate skin irritation, increasing the tension of conventional leg elastics to improve conformity about the wearer is not presently a viable alternative.
Therefore, what is lacking and needed in the art is an improved absorbent article that provides enhanced containment of wastes while maintaining the comfort of the wearer.